Illinois · Net metering · Deep-stack program
IL Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Illinois -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Retail rate credit
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 14 yr
- Illinois baseline payback
- 4
- other Illinois programs
Deep-stack program · mid directory
Illinois runs a 5-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 14-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack5 programs
- In-state #2/4
- Type #12/46
- Baseline14 yr
In-state directory place #2 of 4 (mid alphabet). National net metering directory #12 of 46. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
ComEd and Ameren offer full retail net metering for residential systems up to 40 kW.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Retail rate credit
- State electricity rate
- 16.5¢/kWh
- Illinois solar score
- 28/100
Solar's trajectory in Illinois
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Illinois reported to the EIA.
Illinois's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Illinois's 4 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Rebate
Rebate
1 programs
- SREC
SREC
1 programs
What this shows Illinois tracks 4 incentive types; net metering (1 program) governs the billing side, while the state's other tracked types handle upfront cost or ongoing payments.
How this net metering layers inside Illinois's deep stack
The IL Net Metering governs how Illinois credits excess solar generation sent back to the grid, one of the state's DSIRE-tracked solar policies. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Retail rate credit. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That baseline is slower than most states, which raises the stakes for every incentive on the table. Illinois averages 4.3 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 16.5¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,534 kWh/year and $1,243 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $17,400. That baseline already implies a 14-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $13,675 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
Illinois bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Illinois has 5 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like IL Solar Property Tax Exemption, ComEd Smart Inverter Rebate, Illinois Shines (Adjustable Block Program). The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Other Illinois incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the IL Net Metering sit in Illinois's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside Illinois's other programs?
Who is eligible for the IL Net Metering?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Illinois?
Which other Illinois programs stack with this one?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology · Illinois solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.